Very sad. My best friend and I used to go there often, when she and I both lived in Chicago.
I sent the same article to my best friend since high school. That place was not far from my house and even closer to his. We used to go there and the people watching was generally better than the food. Nevertheless, a Lakeview institution.
Pity. I love diners.
My folks used to drag me there during high school years. Since they were open 24/7 all of Chicago was in there at one time or another. I met many celebs from the Chicago media and sports teams touring actors and musicians.
Ah, crap. Back in late 80s, my now wife lived at Surf and Sheridan. Spent many a weekend late morning nursing a hangover with breakfast there.
Late Saturday nights were a fun scene, blending post-middle-age Bohemian locals, semi-inebriated NEO club patrons, Lakeview yuppies, Diversey/Halsted boys, and circumspect Chicago Police officers with decent comfort food.
Memories are rushing back, it was one of my folks coffee shops and they were there twice a day for years. In addition to all of the characters mentioned above no tippin Scottie Pipens girl friend lived next door so he was in all the time living up to his nickname. Another memory was talking with Liza Minnelli for hours and one night my dad called me up and told me to come and meet someone -it was the Thompson Twins sitting with my dad having coffee. Not bad for a corner coffee shop!
Used to walk over there for the fried chicken back in the 80’s. We have walked past it since the early 90’s, just too mediocre even for my chimp palate.
The sewer/electric construction on Broadway is killing a LOT of people on Broadway this year.
Walked past it a million times when I lived there in the early 2000’s, but not sure I ever went in. My favorite diner in the area was Stella’s; I loved their buffalo chicken sandwich so much that I used to get it for breakfast.
Man, has that neighborhood changed in the last 10 years…
I’ve been here for 30. Yeah, a couple of changes. The Melrose died, in part, because their food outside of breakfast sucked. And it got much worse after the original owner died a number of years ago.
50+ years in the city and suburbs and never went once. I guess Diners weren’t my thing…